Procurement Bill [HL]
The Procurement Bill is a government bill that has been introduced in the House of Lords. The bill would reform the current rules on public procurement in the UK, much of which are derived from EU law.
![Procurement Bill [HL]](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Economy-1232x922.png)
This House of Lords Library briefing sets out a short history of the Schengen Agreement and provides a timeline for major events in its development. It also provides further information on recent developments, including the temporary reintroduction of border controls by member states in response to recent increases in refugees and migrants from outside of the Schengen Area and in response to the terror attacks in Paris in November 2015.
Schengen Agreement: A Short History (365 KB , PDF)
The Schengen Agreement concerns the removal of internal border checks between countries which have agreed to comply with the Schengen acquis (or body of law). It also provides for cooperation in police and judicial matters and sets rules for checks at external borders.
It has its roots in an agreement signed in 1985 between Belgium, France, the then Federal Republic of Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. It was first incorporated into the European Union’s legal framework by a protocol to the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam. Today, the Schengen Area consists of 22 EU member states and four non-EU member states.
The United Kingdom is not part of the Schengen Area but it does participate in the Schengen Information System which shares data between member states, and in certain police and judicial cooperation agreements.
Schengen Agreement: A Short History (365 KB , PDF)
The Procurement Bill is a government bill that has been introduced in the House of Lords. The bill would reform the current rules on public procurement in the UK, much of which are derived from EU law.
This proposed law seeks to place the UK Infrastructure Bank on a statutory footing, giving it a specific set of powers. The bank is currently operating on an interim basis. Its purpose is to invest in infrastructure projects on behalf of the government and attract private sector funds for the same purpose.
In September 2021, the House of Lords International Agreements Committee published a report on its experiences scrutinising agreements under the current statutory framework for treaty scrutiny. Among its recommendations, the committee called for government commitments on scrutiny working practices made since April 2020 to be consolidated in a formal concordat. The committee also asked the government to commit to giving it more notice of both treaties set to be laid before Parliament and significant other agreements.